How the pixel-packing upstart became an animation superpower and left Disney in the dust.

There’s a moment in almost all Pixar films that is a metaphor for Pixar itself. It’s that rousing moment of collective action close to the movie’s end: The Frankentoys rally to save Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story; the ant colony in A Bug’s Life, inspired by the circus insects, stands up to grasshopper thugs; the netted fish in Finding Nemo pull together to swim, ingeniously, down. This is Pixar’s own take on the rescue story: the point when everybody rescues one another. Art as a team sport. “Directors look over each other’s shoulders, but they’re not trying to impose a tone or a style,” says Bird. “It’s like everybody is helping me sharpen this knife.”

Fascinating article ‘bout Pixar from Wired.com.

Also, I just learned that voting in elections is mandatory in Australia. That’s what we should do in these parts as well.